The inspiration behind Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel The Lost World, Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett was among the last of a long line of British gentlemen explorers. Born in 1867, Fawcett was a former spy, an archaeologist by trade and an Indiana Jones style adventurer by design. He was already the veteran of several expeditions into unexplored regions of South America when he became aware of a rumour about a long lost city, a city that Fawcett referred to as “Z”, which was buried in the dense jungle somewhere in the Mato Grosso region of Brazil. In an account then housed in the National Library of Rio De Janeiro, an unidentified Portuguese explorer claimed to have visited just such a mysterious city in 1753. The account described the city in great detail but failed to provide an exact location. Fawcett had first heard about “Z” in the early 1900s and had become aware of the Portuguese account after he travelled to Rio De Janeiro to find out more.

Although the outbreak of the First World War caused Fawcett to postpone his proposed expedition to uncover the secrets of “Z”, in 1925 Fawcett, accompanied by only his eldest son Jack and Jack’s friend Raleigh Rimell, finally set off into the Brazilian jungle. The idea behind such a small expedition force was that the three men would be able to move quicker through the jungle than a larger caravan of people would and that they would pose less of a threat to any groups of natives that they might encounter. Of course, such small numbers also meant they had limited defensive powers should trouble arise.

The last confirmed contact with Fawcett occurred on 29 May 1925 when he telegraphed his wife that he, Jack and Raleigh Rimell were making ready to go into unexplored territory. The group were reported to be crossing the Upper Xingu, a tributary of the Amazon River. Nothing more was ever heard of them.

Before he embarked on the expedition to “Z”, Fawcett left clear instructions that, should his party fail to re-establish contact, no rescue expedition should be launched in case the rescuers suffered the same fate as Fawcett’s team. Fawcett’s instructions were quite emphatically ignored. As media speculation about the disappearances grew, public fascination with the brave adventurers and the mysterious city of “Z” increased and a host of would-be rescuers set off into the Brazilian jungle to try and solve the mystery. During the eighty odd years that followed Fawcett’s disappearance as many as one hundred of these have-a-go heroes have died in more than thirteen expeditions dispatched to try and discover Fawcett’s fate.

In The Lost City of Z journalist David Grann retraces the footsteps of Fawcett and his followers as he undertakes his own investigation into one of the greatest mysteries in the history of exploration. Given the number of people who had previously tried and failed to locate the last resting place of Colonel Fawcett, Grann’s task was always going to be difficult but he certainly went about it in a more logical and methodical fashion than most of his predecessors. It becomes clear that Fawcett was rather paranoid that rivals might follow his expedition and attempt to steal the glory of “Z” from him. To avoid such troubles, Fawcett left no record of his proposed route and even wrote his letters home in code. Grann therefore had to begin his investigation by tracking down Fawcett’s granddaughter to try and gain more information. Fortunately, the granddaughter was still in possession of a cache of Fawcett’s letters and journals, from which Grann was able to discover coordinates that pointed to where Fawcett was heading. These coordinates revealed that many of the previous expeditions had headed in completely the wrong direction. Armed with this new information Grann headed to Mato Grosso, Brazil and, with the aid of a local guide, ventured into the jungle.

The Lost City of Z is a fascinating book. Offering both historical fact and modern day adventure, with The Lost City of Z Grann sets out to illuminate both Fawcett’s original expedition in search of “Z” and Grann’s own expedition in search of the truth about Fawcett. The book could be accurately described as part biography, part detective fiction and part vividly realistic travel writing. Grann breathes life into not only the harrowing last days of Fawcett’s expedition but also into the decline of the great age of exploration. Charmingly interspersed among historical fact and detailed analysis of the various expeditions in search of “Z” are the comedic exploits of David Grann himself as he lurches from one uncomfortable wilderness adventure to the next. While Fawcett was a man who loved excitement and adventure, Grann is more a man who loves home comforts and comfy slippers. Grann’s jungle exploits are often delightfully humorous as well as insightful. Colonel Fawcett was a truly amazing man and, as well as situating Fawcett’s expedition within its historic and cultural context, Grann provides an exciting account of Fawcett’s remarkable life. Grann’s obsession to discover the fate of Fawcett seems every bit as strong as Fawcett’s own obsession with discovering “Z” but, presumably unlike Fawcett, Grann is ultimately not disappointed by his expedition. While the final resting place of Fawcett may well as to remain a mystery for a while longer, Grann at least is convinced that he does finally discover the site of the lost city. Readers will have to make up their own minds as to the truth of this belief.

Chronicling an amazing real life adventure and detailing the exploits of a truly heroic character, The Lost City of Z is a fast-paced book packed with rich historical detail and thrilling escapades. It’s really no wonder that Brad Pitt has purchased the film rights.

Check out author David Grann discussing his journey into the jungle to research The Lost City of Z on Bookhugger.

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